Sharia in Islamic societies is the system of fiqh (jurisprudence) handed down by Allah in the Qur'an, decreed by Muhammad in the Hadiths and developed by scholars based on consensus in the form of fatwas over time. Sharia literally means 'the path leading to water'. Sharia governs most aspects of a Muslim's life, including crime, politics, banking, family and hygiene. The Qur'an condemns the use of any judgment that is outside the realms of what is ordained by Allah:

Q.5:49-50 Judge thou between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires? But who can give better judgment than Allah.

The implementation of sharia in Islamic societies today varies considerably from one state to another. Reasons for this include the reality of the harsh punishments recommended by Muhammad in the seventh century among the barbaric Bedouin desert tribes of Arabia; penalties that have no place in civilised societies. In addition to the fact that commandments in the Qur’an can be awfully vague with many actions of Muhammad contrary to or supplementary to those revealed by Allah.

The laws he perpetuated as being eternally sanctioned by Allah, with punishment for infringement including stoning to death, cutting off of hands and feet, beheading, inequality of justice between man and woman - believer and non-believer and denial of basic human rights such as changing of one's belief or choosing one's sexual partner, even in some Islamic societies are considered untenable and hence diluted to various degrees.

The four main branches of legal authority in Islam are Hanifites, Malikites, Hanbilites, the Shafi`ites. Each of these schools agrees uncompromisingly with the basic creeds of Islam but differ in their interpretations of law based on interpretation of scriptures and scholars’ precedence.

In an Islamic state, governance must be in strict accordance with Islamic ideology and laws. As such, it is a system that directly discriminates between people according to their religious affiliations. No responsibility for policy and administration within such a state can be entrusted on non-Muslims.

The scriptures provide the foundations for the true implementation of sharia. How should a Muslim, desiring sharia law, interpret what is written or was practiced and recommended by Muhammad, accept and enforce it? Of course in this limited space only a cursory glance at sharia, a subject that can fill many volumes, is possible. However the underlining principles and precedence for specific causes and effects are unquestionably very clear and specific from reviewing key scriptural texts.

Starting with the supposed crime of adultery we find Muhammad in the Hadiths adamant that the laws of the Old Testament regarding stoning to death be applied. The Qur'an itself recommends 100 lashes for adultery but because the Sunnah describes many cases of stoning for this crime many societies to this day still enforce this punishment.

SM 17:4214 Allah's Apostle called the Jews and said: What is the punishment that you find in your Book (Torah) as a prescribed punishment for adultery? They said: We blacken the face with coal and flog as a substitute punishment for stoning. Thereupon Allah's Messenger said: O Allah, I am the first to revive Thy command when they had made it dead. He then commanded and he the offender was stoned to death.

The Jews of the time had addressed the barbarity of such punishments by reducing their harshness to humiliation and flogging. However Muhammad insisted that since it was ordained by the Abrahamic God, no relenting from His command was possible.

SB 89:303 - A Bedouin came and said, "My son was a labourer for this man and committed illegal sexual intercourse with his wife." The Prophet said, "I shall judge between you according to Allah's Book! Your son shall receive one-hundred lashes and be exiled for one year. "O you, Unais!" The Prophet addressed a man, "Go in the morning to the wife of this man and stone her to death." So Unais went to her the next morning and stoned her to death.

In this verse we learn the subtle difference between adultery (sexual relationship outside a marriage) and sexual relationship of an unmarried person. The unmarried man in this case is to be flogged one hundred times and exiled for an entire year, while the married person is to be stoned to death. It should be noted that the woman was neither in attendance during the presentation of the case or the sentencing and hence would have been in for quite a shock the next morning when being dragged out for public stoning based on the hearsay evidence of the father of her supposed lover.

This penalty Muhammad says is according to Allah's book; in other words the Qur'an. However we find no verse stipulating the punishment of stoning for the act of adultery in the Qur'an. Today moderate scholars apologising for the barbaric nature of this sentence are quick to point out that no such ruling is mentioned in the Qur'an. However Muhahamd seems to assert that such a punishment is in Allah's book. We get confirmation of this fact from hadiths found in both Bukhari and Muslim, the two most authentic compilations of sayings, which has Umar, the second Caliph of Islam, relating the following:

Sahih Bukhari 82:817 Umar said: Allah sent Muhammad with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the stoning of married person (male & female) who commits illegal sexual intercourse), and we did recite this verse and understood and memorized it. Allah's Apostle did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, 'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah's Book' and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed. And the punishment of the Rajam is to be inflicted to any married person (male & female), who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if the required evidence is available or there is pregnancy or confession. (Also included in Sahih Muslim 17:4194)

Here Umar clearly points out 1) that the verse regarding stoning for adultery was revealed by Allah to Muhammad, 2) Muhammad did carry out the punishment, 3) those after Muhammad also carried it out, 4) the companions did recite and memorise the verse (as would be expected for Qur'anic verses) and 5) people will forget or ignore the punishment revealed by Allah if they do not see it in the Qur'an.

According to a hadith by Ibn Majah, a Hadith collection that is considered authentic, Aisha admitted that such a verse was revealed. However she claimed that the document on which it was recorded was kept under a bed and was eaten by an animal (a goat according to tradition).

Ibn Majah 1944 Ayesha, the wife of our Prophet said: "The verse of Rajm (stoning) and about suckling a child at least 10 times, had indeed been revealed and they were written on a page which was under my bed, but when the Prophet died, while we were occupied with the tragedy, a domestic animal entered and ate the page up."

Hence clearly, from narrations recorded from sources intimately close to the prophet we have evidence that such a verse was part of the initial Qur'an.

For whatever reason this verse was not included in the written Qur'an (some verses were lost between the time spoken to the time they were compiled, some reciters died prior to compilation, the first edition of the Qur'an was edited and destroyed) it is clear from authentic Islamic history that such a verse was revealed to Muhammad. One can therefore assume that genuine Islamic scholars who ensure that this punishment is still adhered to in Islamic countries understand the finer details of this revelation.

Closely related to adultery and rape is the fact that according to sharia law a woman's testimony is worth only half that of a man. Therefore as in most of these cases, since independent witnesses are not available, the man's evidence would always outweigh that of the woman. Hence a woman proving rape is practically impossible in many Islamic societies, in most cases burdened with the charge of adultery instead.

Drinking and gambling is forbidden in Islam. According to sharia the punishment is flogging.

SM 17:4226 A person who had drink wine was brought to Allah's Apostle. He gave him forty stripes with two lashes. But when Umar was Caliphate prescribed the mildest punishment for drinking is eighty stripes.

SB 38:509 When An-Nuaman or his son was brought in a state of drunkenness, Allah's Apostle ordered all those who were present in the house to beat him. I was one of those who beat him. We beat him with shoes and palm-leaf stalks

SB 81:767 The Prophet lashed a drunk with date-leaf stalks and shoes. And Abu Bakr gave a drunk forty lashes.

According to sharia law a husband is allowed to beat his wife. Hence a woman is expected to withstand a certain level of domestic violence knowing very well such is her lot in life based on Muhammad's pronouncements on man's power over her.

Q.4:34 Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the man to excel the woman. So good women are the obedient. As for those (women) from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge (beat) them.

Generally, sharia restricts women's social mobility and basic human rights the more closely it is followed. For example, in many Islamic countries women are not allowed to drive cars or vote or appear in public unless fully covered.

Allah has revealed in the Qur'an that the plaintiff can exact legal revenge based on the concept of an eye for eye.

Q 5:45 We prescribed for them therein: The life for the life, and the eye for the eye, and the nose for the nose, and the ear for the ear, and the tooth for the tooth. But whoso forgoeth it (in the way of charity) it shall be compensation for him. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers.

This passage, although it allows the clause for forgiveness, does literally invoke a law of physical retaliation. This places justice in the hands of the plaintiff rather than in the able hands of a judge and independent jury.

Islam commands that a male and female thief must have a hand cut off. Even if forgiveness is sought, Muhammad demands that the punishment be carried out.

SM 17:4188 A woman committed theft and was brought to Allah's Messenger. Usama b. Zaid requested forgiveness on her behalf. The colour of the face of Allah's Messenger changed, and he said: "Do you intercede in one of the prescribed punishments of Allah?" He (Usama) said: "Messenger of Allah, seek forgiveness." Allah's Messenger stood up and said: "If Fatima my daughter were to commit theft, I would have cut off her hand." He then commanded that her hand be cut off.

One cannot negotiate when it comes to the prescribed punishments laid down by Allah according to Muhammad. When the hand is to be cut off it must be cut off. As Muhammad says there can be no exception not even if the accused were his daughter. The chopping off of hands persists to this day in Islamic countries. Such punishments are everlasting because they are from the eternal word of Allah.

The Qur'an says, Q.5:38 Cut off the hands of thieves, whether they are male or female, as punishment for what they have done.

However in the very next verse, 39, it states, "But if anyone repents after his wrongdoing and makes amends, God will accept his repentance"

Muslim apologists often use verse 5:39 to claim that Islam is merciful by allowing criminals to repent thereby foregoing the recommended barbaric punishment. However as can be clearly seen from Muhammad's statement above there is no pardon from the punishment itself. What verse 5:39 is stating is that God will forgive the sins of the crime if one repents, thereby alleviating the torment in hellfire in the afterlife. This verse is not stating that the sentence is to be lessened, only that the sin will be forgiven. The hadith below clarifies this point.

SB 81:793 Muhammad said, "Whoever commits any of the above crimes and receives his legal punishment in this world, that will be his expiation and purification. But if Allah screens his sin, it will be up to Allah, Who will either punish or forgive him according to His wish." Abu Abdullah said: "If a thief repents after his hand has been cut off, then his witness will be accepted. Similarly, if any person upon whom any legal punishment has been inflicted, repents, his witness will be accepted."

So what kind of theft would necessitate such drastic punishment? In SB 81:780 we have Muhammad saying, "The hand should be cut off for stealing something that is worth a quarter of a Dinar or more."

The punishment for crimes against Allah or Muhammad was even more drastic if perpetrated by non-Muslims against Muslims. The Qur'an says: 5:33 Those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive to spread corruption in the land should be punished by death, crucifixion, the amputation of an alternate hand and foot or banishment from the land. Essentially if you are against Allah or his messenger and commit any crime that rubs the ummah the wrong way, you are to be crucified as outlined in the hadith below:

SB 82:796 Some people came to the Prophet and embraced Islam. They reverted from Islam and killed the shepherd of the camels and took the camels away. The Prophet ordered that their hands and legs should be cut off and their eyes should be branded with heated pieces of iron, and that their cut hands and legs should not be cauterized, till they died.

The Sharia pronouncement regarding sodomy is that those who are confirmed to be homosexuals are to be executed.

SAD 38:4447 If you find anyone doing as Lot's people did (homosexual acts), kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done.

The Qur'an states that those men who lust after men, transgress beyond bounds:

Q7:81 For ye practise your lusts on men in preference to women; ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds.

Q27:55 Would ye really approach men in your lusts rather than women? Nay, ye are a people (grossly) ignorant!

Q26:165-6 Of all the creatures in the world, will ye approach males and leave those whom Allah has created for you to be your mates? Nay, ye are a people transgressing all limits!

The following hadith passage says that homosexuals should be burned alive or have a wall pushed onto them:

Muhammad said, "Accursed is he who does what Lot's people did." In a version on the authority of Ibn Abbas it says that Ali had two people burned and that Abu Bakr had a wall thrown down on them. (Mishkat, vol. 1, p. 765, Prescribed Punishments)

The punishment of toppling a wall onto those guilty of homosexuality was used by the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, currently in most Islamic states hanging, usually from a crane in a public square, is the preferred method.

It is quite evident and often pointed out from some quarters, that Islamic scriptures direct disdain for homosexuality only towards men. Some feminists rely on such omission to justify legality of lesbianism within Islam. Most scholars however would point out that the same rules, in such cases, that applies to men by default also applies to women and hence, under Sharia law, as obtains in all Islamic countries, lesbianism is also considered haram (prohibited).

However when taken in context of other stipulations regarding fornications, adultery and lewdness in the Qur'an, it would become clear that any same sex relation would result in severe punishment. The Qur'an states:

Q4:15 And as for those who are guilty of an indecency from among your women, call to witnesses against them four from among you; then if they bear witness confine them to the houses until death takes them away

Q17:32 And go not nigh to fornication; surely it is an indecency and an evil way.

Q24:2 As for the fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them, giving a hundred stripes, and let not pity for them detain you in the matter of obedience to Allah

Fornication, lewdness, indecency, etc would be considered to be any act of a sexual nature, regardless of the partners' gender, that is performed prior to marriage or outside of marriage. The punishment for such acts is flogging, 100 lashes for the unmarried and possibly death for the married if the sunnah of the prophet is used. Also such an act is considered among the worst in the eyes of Allah, with the guilty placed at the bottom layer of hell.

Apostasy or the changing of religion is considered a severe crime under sharia. Islam orders apostates to be killed. Leaving Islam, whether one becomes an atheist or converts to another religion attracts the death penalty according to the Qur'an, the hadith, and later legal rulings.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century however, moderation in Islam has taken root and some scholars have since argued against the death penalty for apostasy unless the apostate is fighting against Muslims. Nonetheless for the full twelve centuries prior to that time, the entire Muslim world remained unanimous regarding death as the punishment. According to trditional rulings, apostasy falls into two categories; those giving up Islam to fight against Muslims and those desiring another or no religion at all. The latter is not to be put to death immediately, but given three attempts to repent and return to Islam. The highly respected twelfth century Imaam Ibn Qudaamah said in his work, al-Mughni:

The apostate should not be put to death until he has been asked to repent three times. This is the view of the majority of scholars, including ‘Umar, ‘Ali, ‘Ata’, al-Nakhaii, Maalik, al-Thawri, al-Awzaa’i, Ishaaq and others. Because apostasy comes about because of doubt, and cannot be dispelled in an instant. Time should be allowed for the person to rethink the matter, and the best length of time is three days.

The Qur'an does mention apostasy in about fifteen verses. However there is ambiguity and vagueness in the majority regarding punishment. However the following two do give ample justification to administer the death penalty for leaving Islam.

Q9:11-12 If they repent, establish regular prayers, and practice regular charity, they are your brethren in faith. But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and taunt you for your faith, fight ye the chiefs of Unfaith: for their oaths are nothing to them.

In this Qur'anic verse Allah explains that if one takes the oath of faith in Islam he becomes a brother in religion. But should he violate that oath, in other words become an apostate, you then have the right to fight him. What is the point of fighting if the aim is not to either kill to beat them back into submission?

Q 4:89 They desire that you should disbelieve as they have disbelieved, so that you might be alike; therefore take not from among them friends until they forsake their homes in Allah's way; but if they turn back (leave Islam), then seize them and kill them wherever you find them, and take not from among them a friend or a helper.

Here Muhammad /Allah clearly recommend that friendships should not be made with those who disbelieve until they forsake everything for Allah. But if after accepting Allah and Muhammad, they turn away then it is imperative that they be seized wherever they can be found and killed.

Apostasy would mean becoming an unbeliever. And since the Qur'an is littered with exhortations to the believers to make war on and kill the unbelievers it is only logical that apostates should receive the death penalty.

Q 9:29 Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day

Therefore an apostate, one who now disbelieves in Allah, is ripe for the fight.

The hadiths however are very clear on the matter of apostasy. From these we not only get examples of how apostasy was dealt with but also Muhammad's pronouncements on the matter.

SAD 40:4747 - The Prophet said: "Soon there will appear disagreement and dissension in my people. They will swerve from the religion as an animal when shot at. They are worst of the people and are animals. Happy is the one who kills them and they kill him. He who fights against them will be nearer to Allah than others."

SB 83:17 - Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In retaliation for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."

SB 89:271 - Mu'adh asked, "What is wrong with this man?" Abu Musa replied, "He embraced Islam and then reverted back to Judaism." Mu'adh said, "I will not sit down unless you kill him as it is the verdict of Allah and His Apostle."

SB 6922 The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever changes his religion, put him to death"

Many more similar ahadiths, relating to apostasy and the death penalty, can be found in the Hadiths chapter, Crime and Punishment section. However from these few hadiths it is apparent that death was recommended by Muhammad for anyone renouncing Islam. Many Muslim apologists today give the excuse that the death sentence was intended for those renegades of the Muslim army who abandoned Islam and fought instead for the enemy. But the few hadiths above refutes any such arguments. How can disagreement with other Muslims, swerving from Islam or reverting to another religion be construed as being a military traitor? There are no hadith that specifically links the killing of apostates with one who fights against the Muslims.

Case in point was Abdullah, a scribe of Muhammad who wrote down verses as they were revealed. After realizing that the revelations from Allah were contradictory, needed continuous revision or required grammatical corrections, he returned to Mecca and adopted his former religion. On conquest of Mecca, Muhammad ordered Abdullah be killed, even though he never raised a hand against the Muslims. He was eventually spared by those sent to execute him as a result of his fervent pleas.

According to Sharia, criticism of Islam or its messenger is a crime punishable by death. In the chapter on Muhammad's life, a review of some of Muhammad critics with a description of their eventual demise was provided. Such examples, set fourteen centuries ago, continue to this day with fatwas pronounced on the life of anyone guilty of crimes against Islam or its prophet. With sharia law, the execution of punishment can essentially be carried out by anyone based on the judgment (fatwa) handed down by the sharia judge. Hence the killing, in any environs convenient to the executioner, is permissible with the assassin praised for applying the ruling set according to Allah's law. Again it should be noted that the defendant has no means of arguing his or her case.

Verbally attacking Islam such as defaming the religion or Muhammad or criticising the Qur’an may be considered to be even worse than waging war against it with weapons. According to the famed thirteenth century scholar, Ibn Taymiyah (teacher of renowned commentator on the Qur'an, Ibn Kathir), it is imperative that idividuals guilty of this crime, be killed:

Muhaarabah (waging war against Islam) is of two types: physical and verbal. Waging war verbally against Islam may be worse than waging war physically – hence the Prophet used to kill those who waged war against Islam verbally, whilst letting off some of those who waged war against Islam physically. This ruling is to be applied more strictly after the death of the Prophet. Mischief may be caused by physical action or by words, but the damage caused by words is many times greater than that caused by physical action; It is proven that waging war against Allah and His Messenger verbally is worse and the efforts on earth to undermine religion by verbal means is more effective. (Al-Saarim al-Maslool, 3:735)

Today many Western countries, succumbing to the demands of their Muslim communities, have introduced laws condemning so-called religious hate speech, thereby stifling free speech that may criticize Muhammad, the Qur'an, and religions in general. Only an ideology insecure in the validity of its truth would need to resort to laws that prescribe punishment for those who dare question, threaten or differ from it.

Divorce laws under sharia are heavily biased towards men. All a man need do to divorce his wife is utter the 'talaq' (I divorce you) three times to his wife and that constitutes the entire divorce proceedings; no lawyers, no documents, no arbitration. It is all in the husband's hands.SM 8:3354 - A person divorced his wife by three pronouncements (repeating "I divorce you" three times)

For a woman however, she needs to take her case before a sharia judge and prove her complaint before a divorce (Khul'a) could be awarded. However, with a woman's testimony worth only half that of a man's, the likelihood of success is not balanced in her favour. From the Qur'an we read:

Q65:6 Lodge them (wives to be divorced) where ye dwell, according to your wealth, and harass them not so as to restrict life for them. If they are with child, then spend for them till they bring forth their burden. If they suckle your offspring, give them their recompense: and take mutual counsel together. And if ye find yourselves in difficulties, let another woman suckle the child.

Muhammad is speaking to men, and refers to women as if they are the man's possession. When you divorce your wife you have a waiting period of three months where she must be maintained according to the husband's means. This is to ensure there is no pregnancy. If the wife is pregnant she must be maintained until 'your' (the man's) offspring is delivered. If after that there is no reconciliation then give the child to another woman to suckle and proceed with the divorce. The mother loses her rights to the child. Women, divorced by their husband, according to Qur'an 2:41, are entitled to 'reasonable' support from their ex-husband after the divorce. However such provisions are not mentioned for a woman divorcing her husband.

A divorced woman must marry another man before being able to remarry her original husband, should they wish to reconcile.

SM 8:3354 - Allah's Messenger said: A divorced woman cannot return to her husband unless she marries another and he has tasted her sweetness.

Under sharia law, a woman inherits only half that which her male counterpart is entitled and Muslims / Kuffar cannot inherit from each other.

Q4:11 Allah chargeth you concerning (the provision for) your children: to the male the equivalent of the portion of two females.

SM 11:3928 Allah's Messenger said: A Muslim is not entitled to inherit from a non-Muslim, and a non-Muslim is not entitled to inherit from a Muslim.

A man can have up to four wives at the same time but can divorce and remarry as many times as he wishes. Muhammad though was excluded from this rule by divine intervention from Allah, allowing him as many simultaneous wives as he desired. A woman has no such privilege and must share her husband with up to three other women and more should he possess slaves. Following the examples of Muhammad and his companions, Muslim men throughout the centuries have had a model by which women could be treated as commodities to be used and abused or bought and sold at their whims and fancy. A review of the early Muslims and their number of wives are listed below:

There are two types of marriages in Islam, nikah and nikah mut'ah. Nikah is intended to be permanent whereas nikah mut'ah is temporary. The latter was introduced by Muhammad during the time when his armies were in strange lands for long periods and hence required a system that would permit liaisons with some semblance of marital ethics. Nikah mut'ah (marriage for pleasure) is for a contracted period usually ranging from hours to a few days and is today, only recognized by Shia Muslims. Sunni Muslims claim that although such marriages were initially introduced by Muhammad, he eventually abrogated them and hence it should no longer be practiced. However here are narrations from Sahih Muslim which confirm Muhammad's introduction of what some term as legalised prostitution.

SM 8:3247-49 Allah's Messenger came to us and permitted us to contract temporary marriage. Yes, we had been benefiting ourselves by this temporary marriage during the lifetime of the Prophet. We contracted temporary marriage giving a handful of dates or flour during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger.

SM 8:3252 Sabra Juhanni reported: Allah's Messenger permitted temporary (mut'ah) marriage for us. So I and another person went out and saw a woman of Bana 'Amir, who was like a young long-necked she-camel. We presented ourselves to her for contracting temporary marriage, whereupon she said: What dowry would you give me? I said: My cloak. I remained with her for three nights

Is paedophilia sanctioned under sharia? Of course many would claim it is not, although it still persists legally in some Islamic societies. But how can this sensitive issue be understood from the scripture and sunnah of the Prophet? Muhammad married a six year old and Umar married the five year old, Umme Kulthum. To this day in Islamic countries, girls as young as six are still betrothed into marriage usually because of the sizeable dowry they attract. The following Qur'anic verse concerning divorce, clearly explains the process for divorcing a girl who has not yet reached the age of puberty.

Q65:44 Such of your women as have passed the age of monthly courses, for them the prescribed period, if ye have any doubts, is three months, and for those who have no courses {wives not yet reached puberty} it is the same.

This verse appears to endorse paedophilia by specifying a waiting period of three months after divorcing a female who has not yet commenced menstruation. Therefore not only could you marry a child, but you could also divorce her before puberty.

When people in the west think of sharia law, usually cases of domestic or financial matters are what come to mind. However it should be noted that sharia also governs how Muslims fight and treat the conquered populations of Dar-ul-Harb.

Jihad against the non-believer is legal and there are rules found in the Qur'an, Hadiths, and Sira that govern how it is to be conducted and subsequent governance administered. Here are some of the legal directions given to Muslims concerning Jihad:

• Women and children can be enslaved. They can either be sold or the Muslims may marry the women, since their marriages are automatically annulled upon their capture.
• Jihadists may have sex with captured slave women.
• Women and children must not be killed during war, unless this happens in a night time raid when visibility is low.
• A captured enemy can be tortured to extract information.
• Male enemy who convert can keep their property and small children.
• Civilian property may be confiscated or destroyed.
• Idolaters have to convert or die. Jews and Christians have three options death, conversion or dhimmitude.

How Sharia in an Islamic State affects dhimmis is discussed in the chapter – Islam for Dhimmis.

In conclusion, sharia is not a system of law the average person would seek to live under unless conditioned by faith. It is a legal system that interferes with basic human liberties. It is unjust, barbaric and set in stone fourteen hundred years ago. True Muslims wherever they are on earth must apply sharia, where possible, as precedence over the legal system of the country in which they live. It is ordained in scripture, handed down by Allah and performed and endorsed by Muhammad the supposedly last Abrahamic prophet.

However for a Muslim to renounce or dilute such laws he would in effect be reneging on his God's words and violating the example set by Muhammad, supposedly the greatest example of a human being to have existed.